(CNN) – Sen. Rand Paul says he’ll vote “no” on the Senate’s bipartisan immigration reform bill, since it doesn’t include his amendment that would grant Congress power to determine whether the U.S. southern border is secure,

The Kentucky Republican had previously been open to supporting the measure, which includes a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants that’s contingent on bolstering border security. Paul introduced an amendment that would have required Congress to vote on whether the border was properly secure, but it failed to gain approval this week.
Without that inclusion, Paul said definitively on CNN’s “State of the Union” he would be a “no” vote.

“Without some congressional authority and without border security first, I can't support the final bill,” Paul told chief political correspondent Candy Crowley.

Supporters of the comprehensive immigration reform bill need 60 votes to gain passage in the Senate, but hope a larger majority will help propel the measure in the GOP-controlled House of Representatives, where its prospects appear dim. With that goal in mind, an amendment was introduced this week that vastly ramps up resources along the southern border, including 700 miles of new fence.

But Paul said Sunday that provision wasn’t sufficient, saying throwing dollars at border security programs wasn’t any guarantee the problem would be fixed.

“We've thrown a lot of money at a lot of problems in our country,” Paul said. “To me, what really tells me that they're serious would be letting Congress vote on whether the border's secure. If the people in the country want to be assured that we will not get another 10 million people to come here illegally over the next decade, they have to believe they get a vote through their Congress.”

Predicting the measure would pass the Senate but fail in the House, Paul said he didn’t trust the White House to accurately assess whether or not full security had been achieved on the border.

“I don't trust this administration or a Republican administration to really make a valid judgment,” he said. “I want Congress and the people to have the right to decide whether the border's secure.”

soundoff(499 Responses)

is the GOP even relevant anymore? they are driving off into a ditch every chance they get. Stop holding everything up pea brains...

June 23, 2013 11:38 am at 11:38 am |

Surthurfurd

Rand Paul is angry that the government is not big enough for his taste.

June 23, 2013 11:42 am at 11:42 am |

Tony

How about an amendment that requires Congress to vote on a jobs bill?

June 23, 2013 11:43 am at 11:43 am |

cashmoneybrother

We all knew that Rand P was going to run in 2016, even before he had the guts to state as much.
We also know that he is too 'unworldly' (small town views that are like those of the Amish – he still questions where electricity comes from and why), to understand such large issues as 'Civil Rights' and 'Immigration'.

Rand P still thinks that any business should be able to dictate what customers it can service – but if any business said 'NO' to the Stupid inbreeds that support MOST GOP policies, he too would call that discrimination and dictate that even stupid white people need to eat (even though as a white person I would rather have the stupid white people starve to death, so there are less of them to support War efforts like the Iraq War (a war that saw only Stupid People in Charge (Dan Senor, Dickless Cheney and Condi 'why did I waste so many years learning Russian to only attack Iraq and not Russia (another stupid and corrupt country) Rice)). Almost everyone of the Bush Administration's political postings was made with a 'stupid person' in mind, so that dumbness could become a mainstay in Federal Government handlings and procedures.
Does anyone remember that Bush & D Cheney knew that the Dikes in NO were bad in 2001/02 and Bush/GOP said they could not afford to fix the dikes and instead went to war (even their cost projections of the Iraq war were so low and stupid that now no one in the financial community wants to hire of these idiots as they can't do any future forecasting, or at least as well as other American-born Liberal minded intelligent people that were born and breed with more worldly knowledge..

Rand P will run for the 2016 Presidential nomination, but only to embarrass his existence as he will not only ensure certain defeat for the 'stupid people party' (GOP) as Latinos and Women & Blacks will not vote for Stupid people (that still don't understand climate change and care nothing for their American brothers (that live in other climate changed states – like NJ)) - like no support for NO before Katrina, like the Billions wasted in Iraq and Afghanistan (and not one of the GOP does anything about that), like how it is Mandated that all 'female & Gay' Military personnel MUST be raped by a training instructor so that the newbies will know what it is like to be raped before they are raped in the field of battle (actually it almost never happens, as US troops don't usually surrender like Rand Paul's dad would have all US troops abroad do (if he were President).

Rand Paul supports female troops being raped and says that it is a normal procedure for the instructors to have
their needs' and no federal government should interfere in how the military teaches its own how to handle rape in the battlefield (even though the chain of command has already stated that Rape is not an instrument of military policy (unlike Libya)).

Rand P is just wasting more Americans' lives by providing them with another David Karish wannabe (Waco).
Rand wont even admit that Ricky Perry is out to lunch on the climate change issue - in my op, without evidence, how do we know that there is a drought in Texas? How do we know that they didn't just have the same old hot summer that always comes to texas? Where does that CDN Ted Cruz get off saying that no American should have to pay for another American to live in a place where it costs more to live than what they get in pay and then Perry demands more money for his Texans that can't pay their own bills without Government assistance – they are freeloaders and Texas should never be allowed to provide any more candidates for US President.

LBJ may have brought civil rights, but he also sent 500,000 US troops to war in SE Asia – and didn't win the war.
Bush the first, lied to the American people about not supporting 'voodoo economics' and then raised taxes, but would not remove Saddam -- causing his son, Bush 2, to go to war without arming his troops with armour (remember when the troops had to use other destroyed vehicles for the extra door armour?) That was all Bush 2, Cheney and Condi Rice (the worst of the stupid as she never fought back against the bald arrogant idiot Cheney).
Who will Rand Paul protect Americans from if he only represents ignorance?
Heck, the 'GOP stupid people party control only one house of the congress and still they can't get anything done in their own 'House'.
As Gump would say, 'Stupid as Stupid Does'.

June 23, 2013 11:43 am at 11:43 am |

stevetall

Whaaa! Get this punk kid out of the Senate. What a dip!

June 23, 2013 11:46 am at 11:46 am |

Ron

No border can EVER be 100% secure. But with a fence and border patrol agents every 1000 feet, it would be impossible to make a border more secure than that. I agree with Paul on some things, but this demand is totally unreasonable.

June 23, 2013 11:46 am at 11:46 am |

Kris

Rand Paul is one of the reasons that senators are no longer seen as statesmen and the congress is full of buffoons.

June 23, 2013 11:47 am at 11:47 am |

MeanOldMan

“I don't trust this administration or a Republican administration to really make a valid judgment,” he said. “I want Congress and the people to have the right to decide whether the border's secure.”

But only after a few billion dollars are spent to convince people that the sky is falling. The border is more secure now than at any time in our history. We have played this game before. The right insists on a bunch of expensive "fixes" and then when the time comes to implement those fixes they won't approve the money to pay for them and then they will turn around and try to blame the dems for not securing the border. The republican party is afraid of latinos because they aren't buying their message. All you have to do is look around the country. Everywhere there is republican control of a state there are massive attempts to limit who can vote and to rig elections any way they can think of.

June 23, 2013 11:47 am at 11:47 am |

Steve

if we judge how well our border with Canada runs, perhaps consultations with Mexico instead of solitary actions, would be a better use of our money.

June 23, 2013 11:49 am at 11:49 am |

Floyd from Illinois

Yeah, like he was ever going to vote for it or any other immigration bill.

June 23, 2013 11:53 am at 11:53 am |

Bob

Like his father, Paul only votes no on everything. Like his father, he will accomplish absolutely nothing while in office.

June 23, 2013 11:53 am at 11:53 am |

Crockett

Build the fence and give border patrol agents the right to do their job. Mandate E-Verify, and enforce laws against hiring illegal immigrants. Make English the national language. Modernize the Social Security card to stop fraud. Eliminate "anchor baby" rights. Allow only those who can prove citizenship to vote in state and national elections. Once this is done, then we can talk about immigration reform!

send that little jockey home to clean up after the derby. He must be good at something ,Politics is not one of his skills.

June 23, 2013 11:55 am at 11:55 am |

miguelcentenosr

Is Michelle Buckman standing at his right side in this picture? Rand Paul is the voice of a minority independent group, having said that, he is only voicing what most of us already know; that the bill will be killed at the House so it is a good way to jump in the bandwagon now and later claim credit for its demise.

So it appears it is always going to be "his" way or the highway. What a spoiled baby brat! Grow up dude and think about someone else other than yourself.

June 23, 2013 12:01 pm at 12:01 pm |

Tina S.

That's ridiculous. Congress has not been able to agree on very much AT ALL for the past several years. What makes Mr. Rand think this would be any different? He is part of the problem.

June 23, 2013 12:02 pm at 12:02 pm |

Todd Okuley

We really may be entering a watershed moment for the country. Historical "principles" appear to be in play. The immigration ammendments smell of big government expenditures and small business hurdles, generally sweet spots for Republicans. The Snowdon mess has Democrats coming to the defense of active government involvement in the 'private' lives of its citizens. The paradox gives Rand Paul a chance in 2016, but every decision is fraught with risk.

June 23, 2013 12:03 pm at 12:03 pm |

Rob

Whatever. The reason the vast majority of people sneak into the country is so they can get a job. Why don't we take the proposed money for border improvements and instead fund a task force to go out and identify and prosecute the businesses that hire illegal workers. Cut out the jobs, reduce the flow of illegals. Simple. It seems to me that Republicans only want to maintain the status quo, which is to keep a flow of a vulnerable workers that will work for cheap or under the table. Heaven forbid the rich or want to be rich not have a cheap nanny or gardener. Again, another example of how out of touch (and how stupid they think we are) the Republicans truly are. Oh, don't get me wrong, amnesty as proposed by the Democrats is a bunch of bull too. Take away the jobs and most illegals will go home on their own and others won't bother trying to come here.

June 23, 2013 12:07 pm at 12:07 pm |

Ralph in Orange Park FL

Is there anyone who actually thought he would?

June 23, 2013 12:07 pm at 12:07 pm |

Mentalcase

Maybe this amendment was killed because it's suspect at best. Explain to me why I should want congress to determine when the border is secure?

June 23, 2013 12:10 pm at 12:10 pm |

PJ

"I don't trust this Administration or a Republicans Administration to really make a valid judgement. I want Congress
and the people to have the right to decide......................"
-–
Well, Curly, Congress hasn't made a "valid" decision yet, especially any that adheres to the will of the people.
All of sudden, you and Cruz "don't trust Democrats or Republicans". Well, I certainly don't trust you, Cruz,
or any other Tea Party "darling"
We have "thrown a lot of money" at Congress, paying you to do more than rant and rave, and vote NO.

June 23, 2013 12:12 pm at 12:12 pm |

darkstar

So what? Rand Paul is nothing but another Republican bag of wind with a weird agenda. Not to be taken seriously.